Game profile
Terraria
In a 2D sandbox world you dig, build and fight ever stronger bosses, with an enormous range of gear and biomes. Over the years a massive free update program has kept steadily expanding its scope.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Sandbox / Survival, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is built on pixel art, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The world is open, so wandering off and ignoring the main path is part of the deal. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. Story exists mostly as background texture rather than a reason to keep going. You can play it with others cooperatively or go head to head. It is available broadly, on 5 platforms. It sits in the budget bracket.
What stands out
- Massive amount of content
- 2D building and combat mix
- Free updates for years
This fits you if
- exploring for its own sake is the point for you
- you would rather build something than be told what to do
- levelling, looting and optimising a build is your kind of loop
- you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
- you like getting lost and ignoring the main objective for hours
- you have someone to play with
Look elsewhere if
- you want a game with a clear ending you can reach
- you only ever get short bursts of play time
- pixel art puts you off
- you want something with real weight to it
How long is Terraria?
This one has no finish line. It is built to be played for years, in whatever rhythm suits you.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 81 out of 100, which puts it above 35 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 822 overall. That is the lower end of this database, critics were more reserved here than with most titles. The number does not tell you whether a game is exactly right for the right evening, though.
For comparison, Sandbox averages 81 points across the database, so this one is right in line with its genre. The figure rests on 1077 collected ratings.
Released in 2011, which makes it 15 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 2011
- Genres
- Sandbox, Survival, Adventure, Platformer
- Playtime
- Endless game
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- Background flavour
- Play with
- Solo, Co-op, Competitive
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Pixel art
- Price bracket
- Budget
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Mobile
- Critic rating
- 81 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terraria | 2011 | Endless game | 81 | Budget |
| RuneScape: Dragonwilds | 2026 | Endless game | 80 | Mid price |
| Starbound | 2016 | approx. 45 hrs. | 87 | Budget |
| Minecraft | 2016 | Endless game | 93 | Mid price |
If you liked this, try these
- 80/100 RuneScape: Dragonwilds Shared: Sandbox, Survival, Fantasy
- 87/100 Starbound Shared: Sandbox, Survival, shorter, rated higher
- 93/100 Minecraft Shared: Sandbox, Survival, Fantasy, rated higher
- n/a HumanitZ Shared: Sandbox, Survival
- 84/100 Necesse Shared: Sandbox, Survival, Fantasy, shorter
- 66/100 The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Shared: Sandbox, Survival, Fantasy, shorter